How much are B2B organizations investing in marketing as a percentage of revenue? How does this differ based on size or industry? What is the budget allocation for programs, personnel, and technology, and what proportion of programs budgets do marketing leaders allocate to outsourcing? This report answers these questions and shares budget benchmark data from Forrester’s Marketing Survey, 2026 across a wide range of organizations to help marketing leaders calibrate their investments.

Volatility is no longer episodic — it’s the operating environment. War‑driven geopolitical conflict, energy shocks, cyber escalation, AI disruption, and supply chain fragility are colliding to compress planning cycles and raise the stakes of every business decision. For marketing, CX, technology, and security leaders alike, this volatility is showing up simultaneously in budgets, customer trust, brand promise, employee burnout, infrastructure access, and operational resilience. This peer discussion will focus on how enterprise leaders are adapting strategy, execution, and leadership models when stability can no longer be assumed. We’ll explore how CMOs and CX leaders are protecting demand, loyalty, and experience under pressure — while tech and security leaders rethink cost, resilience, sovereignty, and risk — and where these worlds must align to avoid fragmentation. This conversation will be hosted by Steph Balaouras, Matthew Selheimer, Martin Gill, and Sri Sridharan, and will include open discussion with participants, so please bring your questions and real‑world experiences to share with the group. Questions for discussion:How is geopolitical volatility (including war and energy disruption) changing your priorities this quarter — not just long‑term strategy, but day‑to‑day decisions? Where are short‑term cost pressures colliding with long-term strategy? With AI ambitions? How are you adjusting planning and operating models when assumptions about stability no longer hold? What does resilience mean outside of IT right now? How are you leading people through sustained uncertainty? Peer discussions are available exclusively to Forrester Decisions VIP Leader and Leader license holders for their own participation.

For many B2B leaders, volatility no longer feels like an interruption to “normal.” It is now the standard operating environment. Economic uncertainty, geopolitical shocks, AI-driven disruption, and shifting buyer behavior are colliding, exposing weaknesses in traditional go-to-market models and leadership assumptions. The good news? Volatility can benefit those who adapt faster, focus harder, and lead […]

B2B marketing, sales, product, and customer leaders face persistent market turbulence, geopolitical and social upheaval, AI-led disruption, and continued systemic risk events once considered unlikely. Changing business buyer behavior is exposing the fault lines in traditional go-to-market processes. Ongoing volatility is upending carefully crafted strategies, budgets, and priorities — but creates new opportunities for growth. It’s time to improve focus, optimize resources, commit to deliberate change leadership, and embrace enterprise risk management. Take these actions and you won’t just overcome the chaos — you’ll thrive within it.

There’s no shortage of apocalyptic articles baiting CMOs into believing AI will make their role irrelevant: “Will the CMO exist in 2030?” “The CMO role, as we know it, is going extinct,” and “the death of the CMO,” to call out just a few. Yes, AI is already impacting the CMO role — and it […]

To harness the impact of AI, CMOs must navigate a fundamental tension: They need a clear, growth‑anchored vision while also making room to lead through the uncertainty this disruptive technology creates. Doing so requires CMOs to own the role of change leader in order to become a better growth leader — constantly striking the right balance between AI automation and the human touch. CMOs: This is no easy feat, but rest assured, we’ve got your back. This report helps CMOs (B2B, B2C, and B2B2C) understand AI’s current and future impact on their responsibilities and how to prepare for a new level of growth accountability.

Our 2026 B2B POY Awards recognize companies that have raised the bar in marketing, revenue, product, and customer engagement. Get a preview of the stories they will share at B2B Summit North America.

Cross-functional alignment has never been more important for B2B companies than it is right now. Get a preview of our ROI Honors winners and the alignment success stories they will share at B2B Summit in Phoenix.

Amid quickly changing policy, the takeaway lesson for executive leaders is this: If you aren’t leveraging a robust scenario planning discipline, now is the time to get started in earnest.

Marketing departments rely on outsourced services and agencies for campaign support, to augment in-house teams, and for strategic initiatives (e.g., brand development). According to Forrester’s Marketing Budgets Survey, 2025, B2B marketers’ outsourcing investment varies significantly by revenue. For example, the percentage that allocate 20% or less of their programs budget to outsourcing decreases as company revenue increases, while the percentage that invest most heavily (31%+) is greatest in the highest and lowest revenue bands. When effectively managed, outsourcing can enhance scalability and provide flexibility for peak workloads across both smaller and larger marketing teams.